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

Debra wrote: "Love this challenge, Janice!

Do graphic novels count, like the Sandman series?"

Yes.

Rusalka wrote: "My problem is that I just have a short OOOOoooo shiny!"

LOL, Rusalka. I got the same problem.

Rusalka wrote: "My problem is that I just have a short OOOOoooo shiny!"

We call that ADSS - Attention Deficit... Ooooh, Something Shiny!

If we are in the middle of a book but don't finish the book till the new year would that said book get any points or would a person have to start the book from the beginning?
Sorry if this question has already been asked :-)

I think it was asked Stephanie (I remember reading something like that), and the answer was that the challenge is only for books that you start January 1 or later.

Thanks Peggy :)

Pragya wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "My problem is that I just have a short OOOOoooo shiny!"

LOL, Rusalka. I got the same problem."

My problem is not a short attention span is that I way too many interests and I hate when one feels neglected LOL

Oooo excellent challenge this, will start planning over Christmas (already got a few Pratchetts that can help make up points for each level).

Peggy wrote: "I think it was asked Stephanie (I remember reading something like that), and the answer was that the challenge is only for books that you start January 1 or later."

Let me clarify that just a bit. In order to get the book points, you must start and finish the book within the level. If you start a book today and finish it in January, it will count towards the completion of a series, but will get no book points.

Janice wrote: " you must start and finish the book within the level..."

Which also means that those who tend to read more than one book at a time must be careful and make sure not to begin a new book before finishing the preceding level if they want it to count for the next level... Or am I too litteral?

Yes, that's correct, Marie Claude. If you start reading a book during a level that doesn't require the points, you'd be better to hold off starting it with the next level so that you get points from it.

Marie Claude wrote: "Janice wrote: " you must start and finish the book within the level..."

Which also means that those who tend to read more than one book at a time must be careful and make sure not to begin a new b..."

so glad you mentioned that! That would have been me, I'm sure. ;)

So basically a book you've started, but not finished, in 2014 will be treated similar to any book you have read at some point in the past and is part of an unfinished series (which also count for having read, but no points)?

You've got it, Peggy!

Hmmm, I'm starting to think that I've seriously misunderstood this challenge... I've planned the first three levels and it looks like I will be completing three series and starting 13 new series. Wasn't the idea to kill off series and not birth new ones? *wails*

I think I will be mostly starting new ones. Most of the series I start, I don't want to continue.

Camilla, I think the same applies to me! I'm sure I will have finished many, but started many as well ;-)

I have that too Gail. If I'm really excited about a series I usually don't wait too long with reading all the books, especially not if it's a continuing story. If I wait too long, I will for sure have forgotten all that happened in the previous books ;-)

Until I joined this group I was never much of a series reader, but I've now discovered how much fun it is!

Peggy wrote: "Until I joined this group I was never much of a series reader, but I've now discovered how much fun it is! "

And how frustrating it can be when you've read all the books in the series and have to wait an undetermined amount of time until the next one comes out...

True! So far I read mostly finished series though, but the kingkiller chronicles is an exception, so I know how it feels ;-)

Camilla wrote: "Hmmm, I'm starting to think that I've seriously misunderstood this challenge... I've planned the first three levels and it looks like I will be completing three series and starting 13 new series. W..."

No, you understood it, Camilla. Yes, we are supposed to be killing them off!

However you have just discovered the direct result of looking at everyone elses series lists and adding more to your own to-read-list. Either that, or you just discovered all of the ones you never finished and had to add them somewhere. ☺☺☺

Sarah wrote: "Peggy wrote: "Until I joined this group I was never much of a series reader, but I've now discovered how much fun it is! "

And how frustrating it can be when you've read all the books in the serie..."

Or you discover a series that you just love the characters and find out that the author has died. I had three or four that I just loved the characters and read all of the books that I could find, and wondered when a new book was due out, and found out that there were NEVER going to be any more. Booo Hoooo!

Camilla wrote: "Hmmm, I'm starting to think that I've seriously misunderstood this challenge... I've planned the first three levels and it looks like I will be completing three series and starting 13 new series. W..."

I'm not sure why you're starting 13 new series.

You just have 1 book left in House of Night. Why not read it, score 100 for the series and 5 for the book? That could be level one completed with one book read.

For Level 1, as you have it on your challenge, you intend to read the last book from The Blue Bloods series (75 points). Then you're adding 5 additional books to total 100.

Here's another possibility for Level 1. Instead of reading 5 other books, (three of them starting a new series), why not read book 2 & 3 of Chaos Walking? You'll end up with a total of 115 points for the level, and you will have read a total of 3 books instead of 6.

Just some suggestions to consider.

Janice,

One of the books on my TBR list is the 1,534 page Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady. This is also published in 9 volumes, of which GR lists the first volume: Clarissa Harlowe: Or, The History of a Young Lady, Vol. 1 (of 9). Would this label of Vol. X (of 9) qualify the book as a 9 volume series, even if there is not a separate series page?

It would seem to work just as Proust's In Search of Lost Time, but I'll accept your decision.

Janice wrote: I'm not sure why you're starting 13 new series.

You just have 1 book left in House of Night. Why not read it, score 100 for the series and 5 for the book? That could be level one completed with one book read.

For Level 1, as you have it on your challenge, you intend to read the last book from The Blue Bloods series (75 points). Then you're adding 5 additional books to total 100.

Here's another possibility for Level 1. Instead of reading 5 other books, (three of them starting a new series), why not read book 2 & 3 of Chaos Walking? You'll end up with a total of 115 points for the level, and you will have read a total of 3 books instead of 6."

LOL, Janice, my wail was meant to be a humorous one! I can't finish House of Night yet, as I don't own the book (I want to buy it, as I have all the previous books; I looked for it in our local bookstore last week, but they didn't have it yet). I currently have Chaos Walking #2 from the library, so I will use it for level 2, but I also have all the books that I listed in level 1 currently loaned from the library and need to return them earlier than Chaos Walking #2. That's why I have to put them in level 1.

I usually have something between 25 and 40 books on loan from the library, so it takes a bit of juggling to manage to read them in time. I'm also using all the books for another challenge I'm doing, so I'm not reading them "in vain".

Cherie wrote: "No, you understood it, Camilla. Yes, we are supposed to be killing them off!

However you have just discovered the direct result of looking at everyone elses series lists and adding more to your own to-read-list. Either that, or you just discovered all of the ones you never finished and had to add them somewhere. ☺☺☺"

LOL, Cherie, I haven't even started looking at other people's lists. The books I have currently planned for levels 1-3 were just books that I intend to read anyway during the next couple of months for another challenge, they just happened to fit in this one too. They are all from my TBR list and all books that I can either get from the library or already own.

Peggy wrote: "If I wait too long, I will for sure have forgotten all that happened in the previous books ;-)"

That happens to me too. I'm currently reading The Book of Life and find it a bit difficult to follow, as I have forgotten much of what happened in the previous book. Some series are worse in this sense than others.

I started this one the same way, and decided that I needed to re-read the first two before I finished the last. (view spoiler)[ I have to tell you though, that it may not help to understand what is going on in #3 - at least it didn't me. I had not forgotten anything except exactly how #2 ended. If you loved 1 and 2, I am afraid to say that you might be disappointed before the end of #3, but you will have to let me know. (hide spoiler)]

#177 is regarding The Book of Life. GR will not let me edit it. The response is for Camilla in #176.

stupid computers!

Hm, if that trilogy is so hard to follow I might not finish it. It's on my maybe list anyway, I wasn't too excited about book 1, and I definitely don't want to reread, or struggle through book 2 even more than I normally would because I don't understand half of it.

Cherie wrote: "I started this one the same way, and decided that I needed to re-read the first two before I finished the last. [spoilers removed]"

It's not even that long since I read #2 (about a year, can't remember the exact date), but still I feel I've forgotten a lot. I just don't have time and interest to re-read. Maybe it's just me though. I gave the first two books four stars, now I'm on page 150 of the third and it's definitely not more than three stars so far, maybe even two. I just feel there's nothing happening, the story is not going forward in any way. I hope it gets better.

Janice wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "My problem is that I just have a short OOOOoooo shiny!"

We call that ADSS - Attention Deficit... Ooooh, Something Shiny!"

LMAO. You guys crack me up!

Cherie wrote: "Or you discover a series that you just love the characters and find out that the author has died. I had three or four that I just loved the characters and read all of the books that I could find, and wondered when a new book was due out, and found out that there were NEVER going to be any more. Booo Hoooo! ."

This happened with an excellent series starting with Mistress of the Art of Death. Definitely a bummer!

Marie Claude wrote: "Pragya wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "My problem is that I just have a short OOOOoooo shiny!"

LOL, Rusalka. I got the same problem."

My problem is not a short attention span is that I way too many inte..."

Oh yeah, that too!

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Janice,

One of the books on my TBR list is the 1,534 page Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady. This is also published in 9 volumes, of which GR lists the first volume: [book:..."


Sorry, but the decision was that it had to have a series page on Goodreads.

Camilla wrote: "LOL, Janice, my wail was meant to be a humorous one!..."

LOL! Too funny. Well, I had fun gophering for you even if it was misplaced.

Debra wrote: "This happened with an excellent series starting with Mistress of the Art of Death. Definitely a bummer! ."

Definitely! I was reading the first book of the series when she died and I'm sure that had a factor in my delay in reading the remaining books. I still want to read them, but to know there will be no closure is sad.

Janice, thanks for the ruling on Clarissa. I rather agree with you, but it was worth a shot. I plan to read it anyway, probably over several months. It's styled as a series of letters, so it will be easy to read a few at a time.

Janice wrote: "LOL! Too funny. Well, I had fun gophering for you even if it was misplaced."

LOL, yes it was! I hope the results of your gophering were some additions to your TBR *snickers malevolently*

Camilla wrote: "Janice wrote: "LOL! Too funny. Well, I had fun gophering for you even if it was misplaced."

LOL, yes it was! I hope the results of your gophering were some additions to your TBR *snickers malevo..."

I've forgotten them already. :)

How does David Eddings series fit in? 1-5 are subtitled the belgariad, 6-10 sub titled the mallorean. Same wold chronologically linked. Does it count as one or two series?

Carolyn wrote: "How does David Eddings series fit in? 1-5 are subtitled the belgariad, 6-10 sub titled the mallorean. Same wold chronologically linked. Does it count as one or two series?"

I would say they count as two series, since in GR (our chosen indicator) are listed that way. But Janice is the expert here!

Interesting point. I've asked the Eddings expert in this house on his opinion. He said they are the same world and chronically linked, but he would default to the authors call as two separate series, as although he read them as one, the author chose to separate them so he defaults to that.

But as Sandra's said. Janice's call. Two cents here though ;)

I guess that is similar to the Ender books by Orson Scott Card (which I am thinking of reading) - there is the Ender quintet and also the Ender's Shadow series, but I'm assuming they are all linked.

I have thought of reading that series, Gail! Not sure when though. I saw the movie, Ender's Game and liked it so I thought I may like the books :) usually if I watch the movie first then read the book, then I am not disappointed (as much) by the movie, lol! Why oh why can't they just make movies exactly like the book? :-)

I liked Enders Game, but my morals scream I have to say buy these secondhand, don't give the author any money. And it take a fricking lot to make me say that about authors.

Good to know, Rusalka! Thanks for the heads up! I tend to go to the library these days for books :) I hope to get into buying them again when we have a bookshelf :)

I'm thinking in reading Ender's game series too. My son loves it, and my daughter hates it. So... I need what's going on between those pages. I don't think is just a girl/boy thing, since my daughter doesn't really has girlish reading tastes. They usually like the same series, so this is unusual. She is 16 and he is 12. Let's see what a 36 years old mom thinks. :)

Books could be in the same world and in chronological order, but if they are listed as two separate series, then two separate series they be.

I read both the Belgariad and the Mallorean many many years ago when life was simple and thought they were two separate series. Who knew?

I suppose things could get tricky. If anyone is reading Discworld and all it's sub-series and permutations and off-shoots, or Pendergast with it's sub-series of Diogenes, or any of the other serial nightmares that have spin-offs, I suggest you pick one to claim. You only get to count a book once. Not once for main series and then again for sub-series.

I might tackle Ender's Quintet - I have the first one on my kindle but I'll get the others from library/charity shop now I'm aware more aware of the author and his views - same for the Night Watch series. I liked the Ender's game film which is why I got the book.